Author Archives: Mark Wilson

About Mark Wilson

Mark Wilson is an emeritus Professor of Geology at The College of Wooster. He specializes in invertebrate paleontology, carbonate sedimentology, and stratigraphy. He also is an expert on pseudoscience, especially creationism.

Wooster Geologists at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Mark Wilson February 21, 2010 12:31 pm

CLEVELAND, OHIO–Yesterday the Wooster Geology Club, under the able direction of Dr. Meagen Pollock, visited the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for a behind-the-scenes geological (and, it turned out, biological) tour. The weather was fantastic for the drive north as … Continue reading →

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Paleoenvironmental analysis of the Silurian Jaani Formation on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia (Senior Independent Study Thesis by Rob McConnell)

Mark Wilson February 18, 2010 4:35 pm

Editor’s note: Senior Independent Study (I.S.) is a year-long program at The College of Wooster in which each student completes a research project and thesis with a faculty mentor.  We particularly enjoy I.S. in the Geology Department because there are … Continue reading →

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Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of the Late Silurian (Pridoli) Äigu Beds of Saaremaa Island, Estonia (Senior Independent Study Thesis by Palmer Shonk)

Mark Wilson February 15, 2010 8:56 pm

Editor’s note: Senior Independent Study (I.S.) is a year-long program at The College of Wooster in which each student completes a research project and thesis with a faculty mentor.  We particularly enjoy I.S. in the Geology Department because there are … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologists Speak on the 2010 Haiti Earthquake

Mark Wilson February 11, 2010 10:31 pm

WOOSTER, OHIO–The Wooster Geology Department faculty spoke today to the campus about the geological framework of the cataclysmic January 2010 earthquake near Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  Greg Wiles started with an overview of plate tectonic theory and how the dynamic Earth makes … Continue reading →

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A Wooster Geologist on the 2012 Doomsday Phenomenon: Pseudoscience, Baseless Fears, and the Mysterious Planet Nibiru

Mark Wilson January 31, 2010 8:59 pm

WOOSTER, OHIO–Last week I gave a talk about the coming End of Time scheduled for December 21, 2012.  You may have heard that the Mayan Long Count Calendar ends on the day before the 2012 winter solstice, and that all … Continue reading →

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The joy of thin-sections

Mark Wilson December 30, 2009 8:19 pm

WOOSTER, OHIO–Bitterly cold Ohio days are perfect for geological lab work, especially with thin-sections under a warm microscope accompanied by a music-filled iPod. The next best thing to fieldwork. A thin-section is a slice of polished rock glued to a … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologist in Ohio!

Mark Wilson December 16, 2009 1:51 pm

CAESAR CREEK STATE PARK, OHIO–I’ve definitely extended my field season as far as possible.  (And what a season it has been.)  My last fieldwork at the end of this research leave was in Ohio, about three hours south of Wooster.  … Continue reading →

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You know that your field season is over …

Mark Wilson December 16, 2009 1:29 pm
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A record of ancient earthquakes

Mark Wilson December 15, 2009 10:55 pm

MAYSVILLE, KENTUCKY–Strong earthquakes produce seismic waves which can do much damage on land, as we well know.  They can also disturb unconsolidated sediments on shallow oceanic shelves and platforms, producing characteristically swirled structures called seismites.  The Upper Ordovician outcrop we … Continue reading →

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Mysterious out-of-place rocks in the Ordovician of Kentucky

Mark Wilson December 15, 2009 10:41 pm

MAYSVILLE, KENTUCKY–Our short geological expedition to northern Kentucky today was to look at some odd blocks of limestone that sit suspended in the sediments as if they were dropped in while the sequence was accumulating. These rocks are bored by … Continue reading →

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